Larry Kudlow, the Trump White House’s Director of the National Economic Council, on Thursday admitted on Fox News he was wrong about the Biden economy and all the predictions of an economic slowdown and impending recession that turned out to be false.
Originally Posted by VitaMan
Interesting.
So Larry has come around to the point of view that everything about the current economy is just hunky-dory, and we can all forget about recession risks for 2024?
Well, if you think Larry was so wrong in his predictions for 2023, why do you think they'll be any better in 2024?
The usual suspects on here that trot out their institute papers on the Biden economy have another chance to attack and dispute the facts. Have at it.
Originally Posted by VitaMan
OK, I'm not up for the idea of disputing facts. That's an exercise in abject futility, since they are very stubborn things (as President Reagan reminded us so many years ago).
But I'll certainly have a go at disputing consensus narratives that I believe are likely to be wrong!
Yes, there's no question that a large percentage of economists and fund managers believed a year ago that a big slowdown and likely recession was in the cards for 2023. Yet here we are.
Bidenomics still working. Unless you watch Fox or listen to complaints by Righties on here.
Originally Posted by 1blackman1
What is "Bidenomics?" Well, a lot of things, I suppose, but perhaps the most obvious feature is that it involves spending an absolute shit-ton of money on various ultra-ambitious and overarching programs and subsidies. In fact, according to recent CBO reports, our annual debt-accmumulation run rate is clocking in at $2+ trillion, or around 8% of GDP. Don't you think the "robust" economic expansion we're enjoying is largely dependent on sustaining or even increasing current levels of deficit spending? And doesn't it concern you that the incremental GDP increases (the actual amount, NOT percentages, of GDP increase we might expect as a reasonable estimate of trend) are considerably less than excess government spending (the amount by which spending levels exceed the threshold beyond which public debt/GDP ratio increases). Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I always thought we were supposed to reduce the deficit and even head toward fiscal budget balance when the economy was humming along at full employment.
Then there's the declining household savings rate. Check this:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=r9v
Notice anything? Last month, the savings rate fell to about 3.7%, or about half the pre-pandemic trend. (Well, retailers did have a pretty good holiday season. Everybody was feeling good!)
And don't ask about rising credit card debt and the growth of delinquencies in the lower three quintiles of the income distribution. Nothing to see there, I'm sure.
I heard that somebody on fintwit posted recently that they could throw one absolute helluva party with a trillion bucks -- and with TWO trillion, one for the ages! So, are we going to see a recession denied, or only delayed? Obviously, no one knows. My point is simply that there are risks -- serious ones -- and it may take a little delicate dancing, with Treasury Janet pulling out all the stops, to get the Joey-Kamala regency safely past the election. (The obvious ultimate goal, of course.)
But not to worry. There's an obvious and effective solution. Just put Professor Stephanie Kelton in the Fed chair with a license to fire up the superchargers as well as all the engines!
That will make everyone feel fantastic!
(At least for a while.)